Measure of Malice: Scientific Detection Stories edited by Martin Edwards

Published on by Margaret

The Measure of Malice edited by Martin Edwards is one of the more enjoyable short story collections that I’ve read. It contains 14 stories in which scientific/technological methods are used in the detection of crime. There is an excellent introduction by Martin Edwards with information about the authors, five of whom were doctors, two were engineers and one was an academic chemist.

As always with short story collections some stories are better than others. I’m highlighting a few of the better ones here:

The Boscombe Valley Mystery by A Conan Doyle was originally published in the Strand Magazine in October 1891, and is the first short story to feature Inspector Lestrade. It’s a solid story, solved by Sherlock Holmes by inspecting and analysing the footprints and signs at the scene of the crime.

The Horror of Studley Grange by L T Meade and Clifford Halifax (1894), from Stories for the Diary of a Doctor, originally published in the Strand Magazine. I enjoyed this one although it was pretty easy to predict. Ostensibly a ghost story, the solution involves the use of a laryngoscope.

After Death the Doctor by J J Connington, a Scottish professor of chemistry. This one was first published in 1934, involving a contemporary scientific gadget. The doctor in question is Doctor Shefford who together with Sergeant Longridge, investigate the murder of old Barnaby Leadburn, found dead with his throat cut.

The next two are the ones I enjoyed the most:

The Broken Toad by H C Bailey, first published in 1934, featuring the surgeon and Home Office Consultant, Reggie Fortune as he considers the death of a police constable from poisoning. I enjoyed all the detailed complications and Bailey’s literary mannered style of storytelling.

In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy L Sayers, first published in 1939, about forensic dentistry, which starts as Lord Peter Wimsey is sitting in his dentist’s chair. The police had just visited the surgery, wanting to see his predecessor’s records to identify the victim of a burnt out garage. An upper right incisor crown and the filling in a molar provided the clues to his death. Gory if you actually visualise what is involved!

  • Publisher : Poisoned Pen Press (4 Feb. 2020)
  • Language: : English
  • Paperback : 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 : 1492699624
  • ISBN-13 : 978-1492699620
  • Source: The Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley
  • My Rating: 3.5*

8 thoughts on “Measure of Malice: Scientific Detection Stories edited by Martin Edwards”

  2. This does look like a good collection, Margaret. I must admit to bias, as I think Edwards is an excellent editor. I’ve read two of these stories elsewhere, and the rest look equally appealing. Onto the wish list it goes.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. I’ve read several of the Reggie Fortune stories, in fact one, The Little House, was one of my favourite stories in the Capital Crimes anthology edited by Martin Edwards, that I read last year. Thoroughly recommend that collection. And I don’t think I’ve read a bad Wimsey short story. I remember that one from my complete collection of them.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I enjoyed this collection, too, and picked out some of the same ones as you as favourites. Even Dorothy L Sayers got on my list, which surprised me since in general I’m not a fan. I seem to enjoy her short stories more than her novels – more humour in them, perhaps?

    Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.